From Dallas to Boston: Welcome to Deep Ellum

Friday

May 25, 2007 at 12:01 AMMay 25, 2007 at 2:31 AM

You may know Deep Ellum as an area of Dallas, Texas, with a deeply rooted restaurant and music scene, but as of Jan. 4, the term has taken on new meaning in the Boston area. Three friends, Aaron Sanders, Max Toste and Josh Velazquez, have come together as co-proprietors of Deep Ellum in Allston — a cozy, sophisticated bar/restaurant that attracts both beer connoisseurs and foodies alike.

Katie McDonough/Correspondent

You may know Deep Ellum as an area of Dallas, Texas, with a deeply rooted restaurant and music scene, but as of Jan. 4, the term has taken on new meaning in the Boston area. Three friends, Aaron Sanders, Max Toste and Josh Velazquez, have come together as co-proprietors of Deep Ellum in Allston — a cozy, sophisticated bar/restaurant that attracts both beer connoisseurs and foodies alike.

Prior to opening the restaurant, Sanders and Velazquez worked together at the popular Bukowski’s Tavern in Cambridge. Over the course of a few years, they often mused about opening their own restaurant, but they were waiting for the right opportunity. With the addition of Toste to complete the trio, things started to come together. They found the final piece of the puzzle when the space at 477 Cambridge St., formerly inhabited by the Reel Bar, became available at the end of last year.

“We’d been thinking and talking about doing this for a long time, and then it happened so fast,” Velazquez said. “We opened eight days after we got the space.”

Each of the guys brings his own unique talents and experience to the venture. Sanders, a Dallas native, worked for many years in a family restaurant business in Deep Ellum. Since moving to Boston, he’s held management positions at several establishments and has served as a consultant to various restaurants. He now puts all his knowledge and experience into his job as general manager of Deep Ellum.

Toste is the assistant manager and resident beer expert; he handles all things bar-related. He also adds small but significant touches to the restaurant’s character with things such as his homemade grenadine and a few menu items inspired by his Portuguese heritage.

Velazquez, a graduate, of the New England Culinary Institute, is the chef at the restaurant. He has worked as a chef in a number of different locations, from the Garden District of New Orleans to Boston’s North End, and specializes in what he calls “international comfort cuisine.” The menu at Deep Ellum is predominantly his creation and includes enticing options for every meal of the day.

Brunch is served every Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. It’s a well-rounded menu with everything from the classic two eggs, homefries and toast to the nostalgic Fall River French toast, made with Portuguese sweet bread (the way Toste’s mom used to make it). For something with a bit more spice, you might choose the Deep Ellum Breakfast Burrito or Chimichanga (two scrambled eggs, pepper-jack cheese, green onions, tomatoes, hot sauce and house-made sausage wrapped in a flour tortilla).

The lunch offerings (served daily) include pretty standard, satisfying fare, such as the Bowl o’ Chili and the Best Wurst Plate, and there are also a few vegetarian options, such as the Veggie Enchilada and the Vegan Burger. If you’re looking for something off the beaten path, there’s an option called Grubbins (a whitefish fillet sandwiched between two potato rounds, beer battered and served with tartar sauce, fries and slaw).

The dinner portion of the menu includes some classic meat dishes with a modern twist, such as leg of lamb (rosemary-dijon roasted lamb with onion-potato gratin and haricot vert) and roast duck ramen (seared duck breast over ramen noodles in a roasted duck broth). Vegetarians might enjoy the couscous (Sardinian-inspired vegan couscous with favas, pinenuts, olives, raisins, vegetables and spices), and seafood lovers can opt for the couscous with lobster and shrimp.

Velazquez, who has worked as a pastry chef in the past, is also trying out different dessert options, such as mini cherry cheesecakes.

Though the food is somewhat high-end, the prices are surprisingly affordable, with the most expensive entrée costing only $16. Lots of customers like to come in for just an appetizer and a few drinks as well, and you can definitely get a good bang for your buck this way.

To wash down all that comfort food, you need some beverages. With 22 beers on tap, close to 100 bottled beers and an extensive cocktail list, Deep Ellum has a drink for everyone. The beer list includes a very wide variety — from Scottish ales to Belgian-style beers — and even some organic choices. “Our staff is really knowledgeable about the beers we serve, so customers can ask anyone for recommendations,” Velazquez said. “Some of our customers are connoisseurs and know exactly what they want, and others are looking for some guidance or just want to try something new.”

Velazquez said that the clientele is generally made up of men and women somewhere between 25 and 40 years old. People who work in the area make up the large lunch crowd, and the bar sees lots of students and young professionals on weekend nights. The atmosphere inside is both refined and earthy. A pristine cherry wood floor-to-ceiling bar lines the wall to the left as you enter, and the wall to the right is exposed red brick. When people ask why they don’t have any art up on the brick wall, Velazquez’s response is simple: “The brick wall is art. It’s beautiful.”

That response is a solid glimpse at what Deep Ellum is all about: natural, down-to-earth foods paired with bold-flavored beverages. And the customers that Deep Ellum draws please the proprietors as well. “We wanted a place with great food and drinks without pretension, but you can only engineer that sort of thing to a certain point,” Velazquez said. “The customers are really the ones who create the atmosphere, and we couldn’t be happier with what we’ve got.”